With liberty and justice for all

Standing in the grand lobby of Mechanics Hall, Maryum Zaidi clutched a piece of paper to her breast as though she feared it would fly from her hands.

“I can’t stop looking at it,” she said, of her newly minted certificate of naturalization. “I’ve worked for this for five years.”

Moments before, Zaidi was among 701 petitioners who recited the oath of allegiance that transformed them into citizens of the United States. All have stories of perseverance, of dreams and hopes, of pride in achieving a status most of us take for granted.

“This nation now belongs to you every bit as much as those who were born here,” U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman told the gathering. “May you, your children, your grandchildren and great-grandchildren enjoy the blessings of your sacrifices.”

Many of these new citizens are Muslims, the women recognizable by their colorful head scarves. Zaidi, a native of Pakistan, came to the U.S. one month before terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center. Yesterday, she was naturalized two weeks after the Tsarnaev brothers bombed the Boston Marathon and reignited more fear and distrust of immigrants, especially those who follow the Quran.

Zaidi emigrated to the U.S. at age 21, hoping for a better life. She went to school and is now a registered nurse, living in Shrewsbury with her husband and two children. She said she attends a local mosque and that Muslims “must keep our eyes open” for radical extremists.

“It’s hard to understand the mindset of a terrorist,” she said. “Especially in a land that provides so many opportunities. I hope my children realize how lucky they are to be here.”

While she spoke, three lovely Palestinian sisterswere having their pictures taken by proud relatives. The young women, in their late teens and early 20s, live in Worcester with their parents and two other sisters.

“The bombing was very bad and we’re not like that, our religion does not allow us to do this,” said 19-year-old Nour Krayem. “But we get dirty looks, because people think that the followers of Islam are all bad people.”

Yesterday, as babies cried and loved ones snapped photos, hundreds of happy new citizens recited the Pledge of Allegiance with gusto and sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” off key. They were told by the local head of the League of Women Voters that they’re “co-owners of this country” and should be actively involved. They watched a videotape of Madeleine Albright, who marveled that an 11-year-old girl who emigrated to the U.S. from Czechoslovakia would someday become the nation’s first female Secretary of State.

“For over 200 years, our great country has been strengthened by the steady flow of immigrants,” she said. “As citizens, we all have a license to dream.”

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services welcomes 680,000 citizens in naturalization ceremonies each year. Judge Hillman recounted just a few: Albert Einstein, Irving Berlin, Alexander Graham Bell, Bob Hope and David Ortiz. He urged our newest Americans to get involved in their communities, to vote, work hard and give back.

“Perhaps you or one of the children in this room will become a great leader of this nation,”’ Hillman said.

It was a moving ceremony. There was no talk of immigration reform, of protecting our borders, of terror watches or foreign extremists who fuel political violence because their God wants them to kill innocent people.

Granted, such challenges remain. But for two hours yesterday at Mechanics Hall, under the portraits of patriots who helped make this nation great, we received a welcome and timely reminder that “immigration” is more than a divisive problem that needs solving — it’s truly a beautiful thing.